Dog Clerk and CFO

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Sparky is the CFO (chief fuzzy officer) of The General Store on Kentucky Avenue in downtown Lakeland, Fla. One of her important duties is to make sure customers get their daily "dog fix." She is Dauchier — short for Dachshund, Chihuahua, and Terrier mix. Sparky works every day but Sundays and Tuesdays, when she spends time with her playmates — two dogs and one cat. On top of her duties as a store clerk, she is a registered support dog. (Support dogs help their humans by giving emotional support and thus a better quality of life.) Proprietress Terisa Glover claims, "Sparky rescued me from animal control."

The General Store lives up to its name. It stocks a variety of sundries, from extension cords to bottles of RC Cola and Nehi. "There's nothing in here that we haven't sold one of," says Ms Glover. I believe her.